Coast Guard Ends Search After San Francisco Bay Capsizing

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for three missing people on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, after a cabin cruiser capsized and sank in San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island the previous afternoon. The incident left one man dead and 16 others rescued from the cold waters. The group of 20 family members and friends had been on a memorial outing to scatter the ashes of a loved one.

The 49-foot cabin cruiser, named Volare and registered out of Stockton, California, was struck by a wave on Tuesday afternoon while returning from Angel Island State Park. The impact caused the vessel to list heavily, lose stability, and roll over before sinking approximately 600 yards from Alcatraz. Initial reports from witnesses described a possible fire, but investigators concluded that what was seen was likely steam from the sinking boat.

Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Commander Capt. Jarod Toczko said the decision to suspend the search after approximately 23 hours was extremely difficult. Crews utilized 11 surface vessels and four aircraft to cover roughly 950 square nautical miles before determining there was little likelihood of finding additional survivors. Toczko noted that survivor...